According to The Sun, Everton are ready to increase their bid for Sunderland defender Lamine Kone to a whopping £18m.

The Toffees are poised to snap up Swansea City star Ashley Williams in a £10m deal according to Wales Online, but manager Ronald Koeman may not be done improving his defence just yet.

Sunderland's Lamine Kone in action with Crystal Palace's Jordon Mutch

Phil Jagielka endured an injury-hit campaign last season, starting just over half of Everton's Premier League games, and whilst Ramiro Funes Mori showed some promise following a move from River Plate, Koeman could lose in-demand John Stones, meaning he needs to be on the lookout for another central defender.

Kone, 27, joined Sunderland from French side Lorient back in January, and wasted no time at the Stadium of Light as he played a crucial role in the club's survival from relegation.

An Ivorian international, Kone impressed in the heart of the Sunderland defence, displaying power, pace, aerial ability and uncompromising ability in the tackle.

Lamine Kone scores for Sunderland

Unsurprisingly, those attributes have attracted the interest of Premier League rivals, and Everton appear to want Kone as Williams' central defensive partner in a new-look Everton back line.

It's claimed that Everton are now set to make a renewed bid of £18m for Kone, which may be difficult for Sunderland to turn down given that they signed the defender for just a third of that in January.

Olly Dawes

Olly is a Sports Management graduate and aspiring journalist, with most of his work surrounding football or NFL. He has formed two of his own sites, as well as contributing to a number of others before starting with Here Is The City.